LEWIS HAMILTON has assured fans that he expects no mental scars following his horror crash in Germany.

The rookie McLaren driver suffered the first setback of his F1 career when he hit a tyre wall at 175mph during qualifying for the European Grand Prix at the Nurburgring.

Hamilton recovered in time to take his place on the grid 24 hours later but had to settle for 10th in the race – the first time he had finished off the podium.

Fernando Alonso cashed in on his team-mate’s misfortune by racing to victory to close the gap at the top of the Drivers’ Championship.Now the pair are preparing for Sunday’s Hungarian Grand Prix and Hamilton insisted:

“We have a great car and it’s important that I go with a clear mind and the same approach as normal, but there is no reason why we can’t go there and win.”

Conditions at the Hungoring are traditionally steamy – and it’s not expected to be any different this weekend with south eastern Europe sweltering in a summer heatwave. It is one of the more technical and demanding circuits, despite being the second slowest of the season behind Monaco.

Hamilton reported: “We had a productive test in Jerez where I spent a day focusing on set-up and development work in the hot and dusty conditions.”

Vodafone-backed McLaren Mercedes currently head the Constructors’ Championship with 138 points, 27 ahead of Ferrari.